Arab Teen Thugs Assault Hareidi Yeshiva Student

Three Arab teens were arrested Wednesday night on charges that they attacked a hareidi Jew near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem

By David Lev

First Publish: 12/13/2012, 12:35 PM

Police at Damascus Gate

Israel news photo: Flash 90

Three Arab teens were arrested Wednesday night on charges that they attacked and harassed a hareidi-religious Jew near the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem. The three confessed to the attack under questioning, and are being held by authorities pending an indictment.

The victim was a 19 year old yeshiva student who was on his way to the Western Wall. The Arabs, 16 and 17 years old, surrounded him and starting beating him up. He managed to get away and call police. The Arabs ran away.

An ambulance arrived and treated the victim at the site of the attack for injuries to his eye. He did not require hospitalization, officials said.

Police began a manhunt for the attackers, based on video images and the description of the victim. The three, residents of an Arab neighborhood near the Old City, were caught several hours afterwards. Under questioning, they admitted to attacking the victim, and told police that the reason they did so was because they themselves had been previously attacked by Jews. However, they could not provide details of that alleged attack.